Sonam Kapoor On Fashion, Love & Marriage

Filmfare

July 28, 2013

Sonam Kapoor believes in retro songs, flowers and marriage. We meet the new-age girl with a vintage appeal:

As Zoya in Raanjhanaa you gave an impressive performance.Zoya is a girl with shades. She is a student at the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and also has an attitude. I visited the campus, interacted with the students and did street plays to get a feel of the character. Being a Punjabi, I have an accent. But to play Zoya, a Muslim, I needed to develop a command over Hindi and Urdu.

How was it working with Dhanush?He’s a good actor and humble too. I have love and respect for him. (Laughs) We are good friends but he is a little afraid of me.

Why?Not only he but the entire unit was afraid of me. I behaved like a teacher scolding everyone.

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You must have discussed South Indian films with him…Yes, in the South they wrap up a film really fast – say within 30 to 40 days. While shooting Raanjhanaa, he asked me whether the film was too long. Because in the South they would have shot two films in that time.

How would you define love?What is shown in films is not love but what you saw in Raanjhanaa is definitely love. In films everything is just so perfect, perfect hero, perfect heroine and perfect situation. But in real life nothing is perfect. I believe love changes people.

Do you believe that marriage destroys love?You can remain in love even after marriage. I don’t believe that love vanishes after marriage. It has been 28 years since my parents (Anil Kapoor and Sunita) have been married. Before that they were dating for 11 years. They’ve been together for the past 39 years! Yet they love each other. Recently, my dad asked me, “Find out which year the film The Exorcist (1973) was released. That was the first time I held your mom’s hand!” He still remembers such small incidents. This is love.

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Do you have a boyfriend?I don’t have a boyfriend. And when I have one, he will definitely not be someone from the film industry.

Would you be a high maintenance girlfriend?Not at all! My money is mine; I wouldn’t ask anything from anyone. I have not asked anything even from my father. Why will I ask anything from my boyfriend? I can take good care of myself. I don’t need a boyfriend for that!

How difficult is it to live a normal life after becoming a star?Life doesn’t become difficult after becoming a star. There are stars who roam freely. I was 18 when I started working; I haven’t faced any problem till date. But yes, at times I wish I was a hero. Things are easier for them. For example if the hero says that he’s tired or his face is not looking appropriate or he refuses to do a stunt, it’s fine. But if an actress does the same, they’ll say she is pretending. I don’t like this!

Are you often misunderstood because of your frankness?I may come across as blunt. But actually I am a private person. Only those close to me understand me. Since, there is a gap between my personal and professional life, people see me as two different personalities. My father’s family is a film family. But my mother’s side is a normal, middle-class family, which includes bankers, engineers, architects and lawyers. Even my friends do not come from a filmi background. They aren’t awed by the fact that I am an actress. We hardly talk about films when we meet.

How much do you seek your father’s support to get your way?I didn’t use my Papa’s stardom for my progress. I want to leave my own impression. I have achieved that to an extent. I am his daughter, yet I don’t want to be known as his daughter, but as actress Sonam Kapoor. I tell him why he even needs to talk about me in his interviews! I have never asked him to talk to any filmmaker for me. I will make my own way.

Who has influenced you the most in life?My maternal grandmother, my mother and my father. I am close to my grandmother. Mom and dad had to travel a lot because of work, so I often lived with my grandmother. My personality is very much influenced by hers. That’s why I developed a love for old songs, classical music and Indian culture. My grandmother narrated stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, which left a mark on me. The ‘Indianess’ in me and my love for art and flowers is also because of her.

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How do you rate yourself as an actress?I have grown in these years. When you are new, you are raw. But there’s something beautiful about it. Slowly you attain maturity. I looked innocent in Saawariya whereas in Delhi-6, there was a certain maturity. When I watch these films today I realise how easily I gave those shots. Now one tends to think before delivering.

You’re considered as a fashion icon. How challenging is it to look stylish always?I am in my mid 20s. If I am thought as an icon at this age, it’s wonderful! I love to work on it. Even as a child I loved dolling up. When I did Saawariya and Delhi-6, people said I look like Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. That meant I was non-glamorous and desi. I took it as a challenge to look glamorous. That’s why I did Aisha and I Hate Love Storys in which I changed my look. My younger sister Rhea (Kapoor/fashion designer) helped me in this.

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You’re said to resemble Waheeda Rehman too…True. Even Waheedaji said, "Beta, you look quite like me!" It was during the shoot of Dilli 6 that we grew close to each other.

Which actresses do you consider stylish?Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nutan, Sadhana, Sharmila Tagore, Zeenat Aman and Rekha are icons. Apparently, Meenaji used to design her own clothes and jewellery. Zeenat Aman was a stylish actress. I admire Rekhaji because she has worked hard on herself. Like a sponge she has soaked in things. She is a real artiste; she does her own make-up. Be it her hair, her hand movements, her voice - she has devised her own style. If you go back to the ’80s and ’90s, most actresses dressed similarly as there were few designers. Rekhaji was the only one in that era with a unique style statement.